Heavy equipment, such as load-haul-dump machines (LHDs), wheel loaders, carry dozers, etc., are used during an excavation process to scoop up loose material from a pile at a first location (e.g., within a mine tunnel), to haul the material to a second location (e.g., to a crusher), and to dump the material. A productivity of the excavation process can be affected by an efficiency of each machine during every excavation cycle. In particular, the efficiency of each machine increases when the machine's tool (e.g., a bucket) is fully loaded with material at the pile within a short amount of time, hauled via a direct path to the second location, and quickly dumped.
Some applications require operation of the heavy equipment under hazardous working conditions. In these applications, some or all of the machines can be remotely or autonomously controlled to complete the excavation process. When a machine is remotely or autonomously controlled, however, situational awareness may be limited. That is, it can be difficult for the remote operator or the automated system to accurately determine a degree of tool engagement with the pile during the loading segment of the excavation process. As a result, the machine's tool may be underloaded during a particular loading segment, or too much energy and time may be consumed by attempting to increase loading of the tool.
One attempt to improve efficiency in the loading segment of the excavation process is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 8,363,210 of Montgomery that issued on Jan. 29, 2013 (“the '210 patent”). Specifically, the '210 patent discloses a system for locating a topographic feature at a job-site. The system includes a laser range finder connected to the arm of an excavator, and a computer in communication with the laser range finder. The laser range finder directs a pattern of light onto the topographic feature, and the computer is configured to receive a reflection of the light, thereby locating a point on the feature. By directing the light onto multiple different points of the feature, the computer may, through the use of common equations, be able to determine a location, angle, slope, grade, and volume of the feature.
Although the system of the '210 patent may provide information that could possibly improve machine efficiencies, the system may still be less than optimal. In particular, the system may require the excavator to be stationary; the location of the excavator may need to be precisely known; movements of the excavator may need to accurately tracked; and the light may need to be manually and perfectly aimed. In addition, in order to determine feature parameters other than a single point location, the system may have to separately detect the locations of multiple different points so that the corresponding calculations can be performed. These actions may take a significant amount of time, and also allow for the introduction of error.
The disclosed excavation system is directed to overcoming one or more of the problems set forth above and/or other problems of the prior art.